CLASS X – QUESTION BANK

LESSON: MINERALS AND ENERGY RESOURCES

1. What are minerals? How are they classified?

Ans) Minerals are

 Naturally occurring homogenous substances
 They have definable internal structure.

CLASSIFICATION OF MINERALS

MINERALS

NON METALLIC ENERGY

METALLIC
EX: MICA, SALT MINERALS

NON
FERROUS NON FERROUS CONVENTIONAL
PRECIOUS CONVENTIONAL
EX: IRON, EX: COPPER, EX: COAL,
EX: GOLD, SILVER EX: SOLAR, WIND,
MANGANESE LEAD, TIN PETROLEUM
GEO THERMAL

2. What is an ore? What factors are to be considered before extracting an ore?

Ans) Ore is accumulation of any mineral mixed with other elements.

Factors to be considered:
 Concentration of mineral in the ore
 Ease of extraction
 Quality of the mineral
 Cost of extraction
 Nearness to the market

3. How do minerals occur in igneous and metamorphic rocks?

Ans) In igneous and metamorphic rocks, minerals occur in
 Cracks, crevices, faults and joints.
 The molten matter comes up through cavities, cools and solidifies.
 The smaller occurrences are called veins
 The larger occurrences are called lodes.
 Example: tin, copper, zinc and lead.
4. How do minerals occur in sedimentary rocks?

 Beds and layers: They are formed as a result of deposition, accumulation and concentration in horizontal strata. Example: Coal,
iron ore.
 Evaporation: Sodium, Potash Salt, Gypsum are formed as a result of evaporation
 Decomposition of surface rocks: Bauxite is formed in this way.
 Placer deposits: In valley floors and base of hills, minerals occur as alluvial deposits. Example Gold, silver.
 Ocean beds: Common salt, magnesium and bromine are largely derived from ocean waters

5. Write a short note on Copper.

 Copper is mainly used in electrical cables, electronics and chemical industries.

 It is malleable, ductile and is a good conductor of electricity.
 Madhya Pradesh is the largest producer of copper in India.

6. Write a note on Bauxite.

 Bauxite is the ore of aluminium

 Bauxite is formed by decomposition of wide variety of rocks rich in aluminium silicates.
 Aluminium is light, strong, malleable and non corrosive. It has good conductivity.
 Orissa is the largest producer of aluminium in India.

7. Write a note on mica.

 Mica is a non metallic mineral.

 Mica can be easily split into thin sheets.
 It has excellent di-electric strength, low power loss factor, insulating properties and resistance to high voltage.
 So it is an important minerals used in electric and electronic industries.
 Koderma-Gaya-Hazaribagh in Jharkhand is the leading producer of mica.

8. Why is mining called killer industry?

 Miners suffer from pulmonary diseases because of the dust and harmful smoke.
 Mine roofs sometimes collapse and cause death of miners
 Fire accidents are common in mines.
 Water resources in the surrounding regions get polluted due to mining.
 Dumping of mine wastes leads to soil degradation.

9. Why do we need to conserve mineral resources?

 Minerals are finite, exhaustible and non renewable resources.

 They take millions of years to form.
 The total quantity of mineral deposits available in the earth crust is very less.
 The present rate of consumption is very high when compared to the rate of formation of minerals.
 Continued extraction leads to high cost and decrease in quality of the minerals.
 To ensure sustainable development.

10. How can we conserve mineral resources?

 Planned and judicious use of minerals

 Improved technologies to extract and use low grade ores at low cost.
 Reuse, Recycle and Reduce of use of minerals.
 Use substitutes.
 Refuse to use mineral resources for unwanted purposes.

11. How is coal formed? What are the different types of coal?

 Coal is formed due to compression of plant material over millions of years. The quality depends on the degree of compression, the
depth and time of burial.
Types of coal:
 Anthracite: Highest quality hard coal. It has high carbon content.
 Bituminous: Most popular metallurgical coal. High grade coal used for smelting iron in blast furnaces.
 Lignite: Soft, Low grade brown coal with high moisture content. It is used in thermal power stations to generate electricity.
 Peat: Very low grade coal, has low carbon content, high moisture content and low heating capacity.

12. Distribution of coal in India.

In India, coal occurs in rock series of two main geological ages.

 Gondwana coal: Over 200 million years old. Found in Damodar valley, Jharia, Raniganj, Bokaro, Godavari, Mahanadi, Son and
Wardha valleys. They are high quality, metallurgical coal.

 Tertiary Coal: Over 55 million years old. Found in north eastern states of Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
They are low grade coal when compared to Gondwana coal.

13. What are non-conventional sources of energy? Give two examples.

 Non Conventional energy resources are those which are of recent origin. They are renewable resources.
 Examples: Solar energy, Wind energy, Geo thermal energy, tidal energy.

14. Why should we switch over to non conventional energy resources?

 Conventional energy resources like coal and petroleum pollute environment.

 Conventional energy resources are exhaustible and non renewable
 Shortage of energy supply would lead to low economic development, increase in price of essential commodities.
 Non conventional energy resources are renewable, non polluting and are available in abundance.
 To have sustainable development.

15. How can we conserve energy resources?

 Planned and judicious use of energy resources.
 Using public transport systems instead of individual vehicles
 Switch off electricity when not in use
 Using power saving devices
 Using non conventional sources of energy.

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